Trips & Tours: Unseen Jordan

Today we arrive in Amman transfer to our hotel and check in. Discoveries from the site of Jordan's modern capital date back some 9,000 years, but it was as the capital of the Ammonites and as the Decapolis city of Philadelphia that it rose to prominence. Built on 7 hills it is a modern, cosmopolitan and vibrant capital and a fitting start of our journey through the desert kingdom.

This morning we set off to the downtown area to see the remains of the Citadel and Roman theatre, reminders of Amman’s incarnation as Philadelphia, a member of the Decapolis trading league. 24km west of Amman and set in a lush valley watered by a perennial spring lay the ruins of one of the most important Hellenistic monuments in the Middle East, Iraq El Amir, the ‘caves of the prince’. Dating back to the 2nd century BCE this is the first of many rewarding yet less visited sites we’ll explore, discovering its carefully restored Hellenistic villa. Our next stop is at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the site where Jesus is believed to have been baptised by John the Baptist. Recently amazing archaeological discoveries including pottery, coins and architectural remains from a 5th century Byzantine monastery have been found. Later we return to Amman.

The north of Jordan borders both the Galilee and Syria and is a region of hills and fertile spring-fed valleys. Here we’ll find Pella, an early Christian refuge of around AD70 and, the rather more-dramatic Umm Qais - ancient Gadara. From here there are commanding views over the Galilee along with extensive remains including a wonderful black-basalt theatre and ruined Byzantine town. Our visit reveals biblical associations with Christ.

We travel on into the Gilead Hills to Ajlun Castle, known locally as Qal'at al Rabad, built in 1184 by Salahadin’s nephew, a foe of the Crusaders. The castle is a splendid sight of sensitively restored towers, chambers, galleries & staircases - an outstanding example of Arab/ Islamic military architecture. We overnight close by in Ajlun.

A short distance away lies the jewel of the north, Jerash, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. Jerash is the biblical town of Gerasa and is thought to have been built by the soldiers of Alexander the Great. This great city with its cart-rutted Cardo Maximus lined with the remains of shops features theatres, churches, temples to both Zeus & Artemis and a Nymphaeum together with churches whose floors are covered with wonderful mosaics.

Following our visit we head east across the basalt plateau of the Hauran to square-built Qas’r Kharana, thought to be a khan (caravanserai) or maybe a tribal meeting place. Its origins are unknown but the date AD710 in one room indicates some antiquity. Further along the desert road lies the UNESCO-protected Qas’r Amra, a superb barrel-vaulted bath-house used by the Ommayed caliphs on hunting expeditions. It is decorated with wonderful frescoes, somewhat unusually depicting historical figures, as well as naked girls and the signs of the zodiac.

Lastly we head to Azraq, an oasis town on the road to Baghdad and with links to TE Lawrence of Arabia who used the formidable basalt castle as his HQ.

Madaba is home to an ancient map of the Holy Land picked out by the tesserae of a remarkable mosaic on the floor of St George’s Church. Several other mosaics can be seen in the town before we head the short distance to Mt. Nebo said to be where God showed Moses the Promised Land. Here we’ll enjoy the same view and visit the nearby Byzantine basilica before travelling to Mukawir, the ancient castle of King Herod.

This is believed to be the site where Salome danced and John the Baptist was imprisoned, losing his head in the famous story.

The castle theme continues as we travel on to Kerak, site of a famous Crusader castle where we explore its formidable passages and dungeons and look around a small museum.

Dana Nature Reserve plunges down steep mountains into deep wadis, a product of shifting tectonics of the great Rift Valley. The entire Reserve is part of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature’s attempts to help preserve both the way of life of the region’s villages and the amazing wildlife that can be found here. Several trails wait to be explored and most people who visit and stay a night or two rate their experience in this magical landscape as one of the highlights of their journey through Jordan.

We have more time to explore before we head south towards Petra. En route we pause to look around the ruined Crusader castle at Shobak, located some 20km north of Petra. Built around AD1115, it was besieged repeatedly by Salahadin and finally captured in 1189. Perched on a narrow road, it affords spectacular views of the surrounding hills.

Later we arrive in Wadi Musa, the town above the site of Petra and set off to explore Little Petra, as a taster of the wonders to come. This tiny city demonstrates the work the Nabataeans were capable of and makes for a great introduction to the history of the area. We also see el Beida, the remains of a nearby Neolithic settlement.

Jordan abounds in rich archaeological sites however most struggle to beat the magnificence of Petra, 2000 year-old legacy of the Nabataeans. Their masons carved wonderful tombs and other magnificent buildings from the multi-coloured sandstone, and perhaps the most famous is the Treasury, reached after emerging from the brightly coloured Siq - a natural wonder in its own right. This initial view is the classic one of Petra most people have in their minds eye when they think of the site, and yet it’s just the start of the city. Beyond we realise we are surrounded on all sides by hundreds of carved and constructed structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theatre, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more.

We explore the site fully during our time here and include a walk to the Monastery, arguably as impressive as the Treasury and certainly well worth the 1-hour climb.

This morning we enter the site again to climb to the High Place of Sacrifice for wonderful views over the dramatic mountains of the Petra area. Descending we transfer to our camp at Wadi Rum. Rum is known as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ locally, an apt description perhaps but just one of many that tries to describe this unique and beautiful landscape. Inhabited by the hardy Howeitat Bedouin tribe the region also has associations with Lawrence of Arabia. From our camp we set off to explore by 4WD driving through the vast array of canyons. We return to camp as the sun is getting low in the sky to watch the colour of the wadis’ walls change from orange to purple and enjoy a night under the stars.

This morning we leave the desert behind and descend the winding road to the increasingly-popular resort of Aqaba. Occupying a prime location on the Red Sea coast it’s a mecca for divers and snorkellers with its amazing underwater scenery of iridescent fish and corals.

On arrival here your time is free to relax as you wish. A variety of optional excursions are available, from diving and snorkelling to glass-bottomed boat trips and even kite and wind-surfing.

After a free morning for further opportunities to swim or snorkel we set off north along the Desert Highway making our way back to Amman.

We break our journey at our last site, Umm ar Rasas, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site such is the importance of the remains so far discovered.

Umm ar Rasas is the location of a large & ancient encampment that at one time was surrounded by a formidable stone wall. On the northern extremity of the site are the remains of the Byzantine St Stephen’s church, the site of what is perhaps the best mosaic floor in Jordan. Much of the site has yet to be excavated and further treasures must surely wait to be discovered.

Later we arrive in Amman for our last night in the Kingdom.